In today's word of portable electronic devices, many people have one or more devices, such as smart phones, portable music players, electronic reading tablets, GPS to name a few. In order to keep these devices powered, it is necessary to charge them at regular intervals through the use of a power adapter that plugs into a wall receptacle or through a cable which can be coupled to a computer. In order to charge these devices, an unoccupied wall receptacle or computer port is needed. With the number of electronic appliances using wall receptacles within a dwelling, it is often difficult to find and keep organized all the required charging components and to find an available wall receptacle given the growing competition for such outlets—especially in older homes with fewer outlets.
Further, portable electronic devices require a charging cable. If a wall receptacle is being used, the charging devices also require a transformer and/or an AC/DC converter to step down standard 110 or 220 Volt alternating current (“VAC”) electricity to a level acceptable to the portable electronic device. These transformers are often bulky, non descript boxes that are easily misplaced or lost when travelling. These transformer/converting devices are also often specific to particular voltage/current needs of the devices they charge.
Additionally, a portable electronic device requires tabletop space to rest on while charging. When an individual has multiple portable electronic devices, a nightstand, end table or the like can be cluttered with cords and devices, thus taking up valuable horizontal real estate within one's dwelling.
Lastly, with portable electronic devices lying on a table or even on the floor, a person cannot easily view the device's display while it is charging. Many devices have wireless capability permitting them access to the Internet or other communication networks. Such devices may be capable of displaying useful information while they are being charged and/or in standby mode.
As such, a charging apparatus is needed that is capable of providing the charging functionality of a standard charger while overcoming the limitations described above.